Diecast Batmobile

The Batmobile is the car that Superhero, Batman drove with his trusty sidekick Robin as they fought evil. First introduced in 1939 in a comic, the car has evolved over the years. At first it was simply a red car with no special modifications, but over the years the car was enhanced and several versions exist.

When the Batman television series started in the 1960's, a car was built specifically for the purpose. The car was actually a Lincoln Futura, which was a concept car that Ford was experimenting with. Originally a Cadillac was chosen as the Batmobile, but at the last minute a change was made and they needed a car fast. With only a few weeks to find a car, they turned to Lincoln since they already had been working on the Futura. The car fit the role perfectly after a few modifications, but suffered mechanical problems so a new engine and transmission from a Ford Galaxie were added. This car was the most recognizable Batmobile for many years.
In later Batman movies, a new Batmobile was found using cars built by General Motors and included a real jet engine.

The latest Batmobile is quite a bit different than previous versions, looking like something from the future. It was only driven minimally for the movies Batman Begins and The Dark Knight and then 1/3 scale radio controlled Batmobiles were used for many of the driving scenes and stunts.

from : exoticautowarehouse.com

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A Guide to Diecast Toy Collecting

Collecting diecast toys has been a favourite hobby for both children and adults for many years. These mini replicas of full size vehicles have fascinated many generations. Many diecast toys in perfect condition, complete with the original box, special markings and price tags have increased in value enormously. Some of these models were specially made for store openings, launches of new products or special events. They were offered for sale in stores, given as prizes in competitions or sold through catalogs where they could be purchased as sets.

Originally only a few models were produced but over the years they have been manufactured for major racing events, releases of new car lines and to promote cereals, popular drinks and cartoons. All the common vehicles can be found as diecast models including police cars, farm vehicles, ambulances and army tanks.Some popular models include John Deere toy tractors, diecast toy trucks and diecast toy cranes.

The box that the diecast model came with was usually made from thin cardboard or plastic and those models with their original case in good condition are particularly prized. As the boxes were made of flimsy material they can easily be damaged by moisture, sunlight or dirt. Keeping the box in perfect condition is often more of a challenge than preserving the diecast vehicle itself!

Diecast models are often displayed in plastic showcases but some collectors store their prized models in plastic bags or storage boxes. This will keep the cars and boxes dry and away from damaging sunlight. If displayed in showcases the models need to be dusted often with a dry cloth. A damp cloth should not be used on boxes as this can fade the ink or wrinkle the box.

Diecast toys kept over from childhood may be worth collecting if they are examples of rarer models. These include models made for a particular product that is obsolete, or a model made to represent a sports personality. Information on rarity values can be found from speciality magazines, collectors catalogs or your local library. Clubs and conventions are good places to find enthusiasts with the information you need, and to trade, sell or buy diecast toys.

The condition of diecast vehicles may be described as below. Mint generally means that there are no defects or wear marks.

Mint condition - There are no broken, missing or misaligned parts. The paint is perfect and there are no glue marks or other assembly marks.

Mint in Box - These are mint condition models in their original box and packaging.

Mint on Card - These are models still enclosed in the original blister packaging.

Some examples of Diecast Toys that are much sought after by collectors and therefore more valuable include the following.

Limited Editions - These diecast toys were produced in a restricted number and the cast was then destroyed. Limited editions are highly collectible and the number of models produced in the run should be included in the information supplied with the model.

Limited Production Cars - Examples include Matchbox Challenge cars, Treasure Hunt Hunt Wheels, Racing Champion's Chase cars and Johnny Lightening White Lightening cars.

Retired Toy Cars - Toy vehicles that the manufacturer has stopped making. They may decide to reissue the vehicle later with color or detail changes.

Toy Vehicles with Certificates - Vehicles produced by Franklin Mint or Danbury Mint may include Certificates of Title or Certificates of Authenticity.

Diecast toys with their original paperwork and packaging will be more valuable than the same model without the packaging. If you plan to sell a toy vehicle keep the original packaging in as good condition as possible.

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Welcome to the World of Diecast

Why we interest with miniature cars ? There are a wide variety of collection that we can take up to fill our spare time. Why we spend our time to collect a diecast ?

Collectors carefully organise their collections, catalog them and proudly display them. Collectors vary in the type of diecast vehicles that they collect, often focusing on subtopics within their collection or collecting specific kinds of diecast vehicles. For example some collectors will collect all diecast truck vehicles while another collector may focus only on some brand, even more specifically, Every collection then is as unique as the individual doing the collection.

There are many manufacturers produced diecast toys including Hotwheels, Matchbox, Johnny Lightning, UT Models, Racing Champions, Tekno, Tomica, Vitesse and many more. Diecast toy collecting, in common with most other types of collecting, is a never ending hobby. There is always another unique or rare toy to find, or another sub collection to start. Even though a collector may specialise in a single marquee they may collect models from the many different decades of the twentieth century, even the nineteenth century for some models when automobiles were first produced. Diecast toy cars are available for all the popular automobile makes including Volkswagen, Ferrari, Austin, Jaguar, Mercedes Benz, Rolls Royce etc.

In addition diecast toys are made in different scales from 1:28 to 1:72 the most popular scale to collect being between 1:43 and 1:64. Although originally made for children they were collected by adults from about the mid 1950's probably by children keeping their toys when they grew up and discovering that they were becoming valued items to collect. So welcome to the world of diecast and enjoy your collection.

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Getting Serious about Die Cast

There are die cast model cars and then there are toys. collecting die cast is more to passion than meets the eye.

Die cast collectors must consider a number of factors that are shared by people in the larger collecting world. How common or rare is a piece they own, what's the condition, who made the item, is it associated with an important event or person, is it part of a complete set or one-of-a kind?

Since the quality of die cast vehicles has evolved over the past century, the value of a car may be related to the year it was produced.

As die cast vehicles became more popular, they also became more detailed. Interiors of cars and trucks were faithfully reproduced. More innovations such as working steering wheels and doors were introduced. The industry became increasingly competitive and some die cast cars were treated like jewelry - polished and presented in the finest detail and packaging possible. Limited editions were introduced specifically to interest the growing number of serious collectors who could count on rarity to enhance their investment.

Like all collectors, the buyer is expected to be the ultimate judge of his or her die cast investment. The value of a model is often in its adherence to exact historical detail. Buyers purchase models from manufacturers they trust have done research and cut no corners when it comes to accuracy.

It's said that a perfect model is one that looks like the real thing, displayed on a showroom floor and ready to be driven away. That means paint jobs and upholstery must reflect historical reality - not the whimsy of the manufacturer. For cars of appropriate eras, working doors, trunks, hoods and other moving parts should be operational. In these matters, an educated collector has the edge on the casual buyer. Collectors not only know the details of the cars, they know which manufacturers adhere to precise detail and deliver what's promised.

It's often the untouched die cast replica that commands the highest prices. In the collecting niche this is known as Mint in Box (MIB). All the packaging and foam that protects the model is untouched and the accompanying paperwork is saved. Some collectors find this level of "investment" isn't quite as enjoyable as handling and arranging their collections so cars can be appreciated from all angles. Of course, these cars require careful dusting with soft cloths and small, soft bristled brushes from time to time.

There are several group websites and auction sites to help collectors assess the value of their die cast treasures. Whether for pleasure or profit - or perhaps both - die cast model collectors share a love of nostalgia and accuracy for vehicles that never have to stop at the pump to keep on providing pleasure.

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The story of the most famous bus in the world

Did you know story behind vw famous bus? Here the story :

The year is 1947. The businessman Ben Pon travels from Amersfoort in the Netherlands to the German town Minden. He has a appointment with the British authorities just after world war II, the British had operational control of the Volkswagen factory. Pon likes to speak to them, because he believes in the quality of Volkswagen's product. His plan is to become the Dutch Volkswagen importer. Pon's visit produces results which were above expectations.

The sketch of Ben Pon at April 23th 1947.

At Wednesday 23rd of April has Ben Pon at meeting with the British. He talks through his ideas about the import of Volkswagens in the Netherlands. But this a special day, as he does something else. He takes his notebook and he makes a drawing of a oblong transport vehicle. As matter of fact it is not more then a soapbox on wheels, in front, the cab and in the back, the engine. How his conversation ends with the British nobody knows. But one thing is for sure. For his time, 1947, his idea is revolutionary. It is brilliantly simple, a large cargo space in a small area. According to Pon, the vehicle has a weight of 750 kilos and the with the cargo being easily 750 kilos as well. Pon´s based his design on the so-called Plattenwagen. A primitive vehicle, the Plattenwagen looks like a push bike with a Moped engine. The Volkswagen engineers had designed it for internal factory transportation at the Volkswagen plant. Like the Plattenwagen his design must be built on the chassis of a beetle. The Plattenwagen

To minimize air resistance.

The 2 first prototypes of the Volkswagen Transporter, above-mentioned as "Typ 29" ** at first, are developed by the designers at Volkswagen. These cabins ( A and B ) are rectangular and have no curvature at all. A scale model of both cabins ( A and B) is tested at the wind tunnel of the technical high school at Braunschweig. The results were disappointing. But at last the high school receives Pon's proposal: A well curved cabin ( C ), His futuristic aerodynamic shape was a dynamic step forward. At last, the cabin developed at the high school at Braunschweig is used for the definitive prototype. (C) (See cabin C) (See cabin C) This is the final prototype. **("Typ 29" is Germans for Type 29)

A blueprint for the future.

One of the first sketches, design of the Transporter (side- and overhead views). This design is of the rectangular cabin.

At first, Pon's brilliant idea is left alone. But not for long. A year later ( Ben Pon and his brother Wijnand became the first official Volkswagen-importers of the world) Pon received a message from Volkswagen . Heinrich Nordhoff, the new chief of Volkswagen, and the technical manager Alfred Haesner, had decided to developed Ben Pon´s idea. Heinrich Nordhoff and Alfred Haesner consent to the development of Typ 29. And so Ben Pon became the inventor of the Volkswagen Transporter. His simple design of a transport-van is the blueprint for the future. Until 1990 his design can be seen in all Volkswagen Transporters.

Full speed ahead..

Volkswagen is rushing, in November of 1948, to develop the Typ 29 transportwagen They are busy drawing, welding and bolting. After about one year, the two cabins are finished. They resemble each other, in that they are angular of pieces of welded tin. The cabins have no curvature at all. This is due to limitations in the manufacturing capabilities. It is a lot easier for the developers to work with curvatures than it is for the production facilities. The first scale model of Typ 29, both models, is tested in the wind tunnel of the technical high school at Braunschweig with poor results. The wind resistance is much to high, and there are unwanted aerodynamic side effects. But the high school of Braunschweig has a third proposal to offer. A ascetically pleasing rounded cab which tapers into a cargo area. The air resistance is about 40% better then the original design ! This final cabin is used for the full scale prototype.

Changing of cource The first prototype is built on a existing Volkswagen passenger vehicle. Naturally, this is the VW Beetle. With the installation of the beetle engine, the prototype typ 29 takes his first ride. Unfortunately the chassis of the beetle is to weak for the heavy typ 29 body. unthinkable what will happen with a full cargo load! It is April 1949, but in spite of this setback, work by Volkswagen the factory is continues. A small scale model of the transporter with a rounded cabin is successfully tested in the wind tunnel.

It is even stronger, the Volkswagen factory targets production of typ 29 by the early fifties. The course is changing completely. They decide to develop a brand new chassis for the typ 29, a so called "self-carried" chassis is unique for it's time. This was the start of the passenger car and vans division. They are working hard on the brand new typ 29. After testing, the brakes and the steering mechanism are improved, and the engine compartment became smaller. This means that there is more cargo space !

This is the prototype from 1949. There is a windshield wiper for the driver only, and the passenger doors do not fit well. The transporter is built on a beetle-chassis which is not sufficient. Volkswagen decides to build a new chassis as quick as possible. This is the so called "self floating chassis".

Everything but a name.

The typ 29 is almost finished. The austerely technical managing director says in October 1949 about the typ 29: "It is a van with a lot of possibilities. It is maneuverable it has enough power uphill, it is has low cost in use and maintenance. It is easy to load and reliable in summer and winter. It is a real Volkswagen...... A universal company van able to transport cargo everywhere in the world." The only thing missing for Volkswagens first transporter is a name. All names like Bulli and Juwel are owned by patent in Berlin. When the first production transporter was ready it's name is simply, "type 2". Seeing that type 1 is the beetle. Later generations of type 2 until 1990 are named T1, T2 ,T3 and T4, but commonly referred to as "transporter". Not until 1990 did the name transporter become officially registered. Briefly; At Volkswagen, November 1949, the bus is introduced to the press it has everything except a name. But it's name is soon to come......

Volkswagen-managing director Heinrich Nordhoff during a press conference at 1949: "Finally the focus was not on the actual chassis, but on cargo space. In front of the cargo floor is the drivers seat, behind the cargo floor is the engine. The point of departure is clear and without compromise. Only this car has his cargo floor exactly between the axles. The pressure on the axles is always the same, it doesn´t matter if the car is loaded or not."

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